Bandhavgarh national park is located in eastern part of Madhya Pradesh state in Central India. This forest area is spread over Vindhyan mountain range in which Panna national park forest is also located. Here we have shared information on how to reach Bandhavgarh by various means of transport and from various nearby places, as searched by majority of visitors. Information given below is as per currently prevailing travel routes which may get changed with the passage of time, by opening new travel routes or closure of some existing routes etc.
Those who would like to travel by flight option may consider Jabalpur airport as the best suitable & popular option. Travel distance from Jabalpur airport to Bandhavgarh national park is just 180kms/03:30hrs. If it is unavailable, then consider Khajuraho airport (270kms/05:30 hrs).
Large number of tourists, reach Bandhavgarh by train option. It is still a popular & cheap mode of transport. Near by railway stations to be considered as Umaria station (37kms). It is nearest railway station but connectivity is limited. Next best option is Katni city having 3 different stations in same city i.e. Katni Junction, Katni Murwara and Katni South. Beohari is also a small station, sometimes used by tourists, coming from West Bengal. After this you may consider Satna station (150kms) and Jabalpur station (180kms).
If you are planning to reach Bandhavgarh by road option, then consider cab transfer as the best way for journey. Here public carrier bus connectivity is not good so we do not recommend this option to rely upon. Bus transfer will be very time consuming and painful journey for any tourist with uncertainty to proceed as per your expectation. Their is no direct bus service from Katni, Jabalpur, Khajuraho or Varanasi. You need to reach by changing the buses. Those who are traveling by bus option, need to understand the fact that bus will drop you to Tala village only. Many resorts are 1-5 kms from Tala village and in such case, do not attempt to travel by walking to hotel as it is a tiger zone, instead use any of the locally available vehicle like passing by safari vehicles or call your hotel for pickup. Most of the hotels do arrange something for your transfer. Even local people are kind enough to help you in this regard.
Many tourists, specially foreigner visitors uses this channel for traveling to Bandhavgarh. Due to country capital and well connected inter-national airport, large number of wildlife lovers, from different countries, first reached New Delhi to launch their safari trip. Thus this route of traveling is frequently used. If you are traveling by flight option, then we have good option of daily flight between Delhi airport to Jabalpur airport. On reaching Jabalpur, further journey is possible by taxi cab, taking 3:30hrs to reach Bandhavgarh. Those who wish to travel by train may consider option of Katni railway station (100kms) or Umarai station (37kms) or Jabalpur station (180kms) to reach first and take taxi transfer to reach Tala village of Bandhavgarh.
If your budget is low and want to travel by train & bus option then their is direct train from Jabalpur to Umaria satation. Check its timing and use this train to reach Umaria station and take bus to Tala village in Bandhavgarh.
Many tourists reach Bandhavgarh, from Khajuraho. Travel distance from Khajuraho to Bandhavgarh is approx. 270 kms, via Panna - Powai - Amanganj - Katni. Cab is the best way to travel on this route. Their is no direct bus service or train service so do not try these options otherwise you will have to face so many problems.
If you are in Kanha national park and want to reach Bandhavgarh, then use cab transfer as the only direct connection. Their is no direct train or bus service in between them. Almost all tourists uses cab transfer option. If you have budget problem and want to travel by bus only then this will be whole day journey by changing 2-3 buses. Route could be like Kanha - Mandla - Shahpura - Umaria - Bandhavgarh.
Amarkantak is a holy pilgrimage destination. Travel distance from Amarkantak to Bandhavgarh is approx. 240kms. You can easily cover this journey by tourist cab service. If you don't want cab service then use bus to reach Pendra Road station and board train to Umaria station. On reaching Umaria, take local bus from Umaria to Bandhavgarh. Remember, bus services are operational in daytime only. If you reach by mid-night then rest at railway station only and wait til morning.
As per our experience, large number of tourists, visiting Bandhavgarh are either coming from Varanasi or going to Varanasi after national park visit thus movement is good on this route. If you are in Varanasi and want to reach Bandhavgarh, then recommended option is to use train transfer from Varanasi to Satna / Katni / Umaria railway stations and further journey by cab. If you are facing train reservation problem then next best option is to use direct cab transfer from Varanasi to Bandhavgarh. Although travel distance is long but sometimes tourists undertake this journey. By anyway, do not attempt bus transfer option as their is no direct bus connectivity. If are short of time, then one more option is available i.e. take flight/train from Varanasi to Khajuraho and use tourist cab from Khajuraho to Bandhavgarh.
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